Andy Tattersall, Research Communications Technologist (Episode 71) | Andy is always trying to make things 1% better
For this episode of the Research Adjacent podcast Sarah is Andy Tattersall. Andy is an Open Research Communication Specialist currently based at the University of Sheffield, but soon to go freelance.
Making things better with tech
Andy thrives on experimenting with emerging technologies. This goes right back to his childhood when he created radio shows using a tape recorder in his bedroom. Ever since joining the University of Sheffield nearly 20 years ago he has looked for ways to use technology to make things better. His first project was digitising the paper-based inter-library loans system. More recently he has been monitoring the migration from Twitter to BlueSky and investigating the potential of AI.
“It just takes one person to use it in a really fantastic way, and everyone goes, wow, yeah! And that’s always been the case with technology, hasn’t it?”
An eye for innovation
Andy was a late starter when it comes to education, doing A-levels and a degree in journalism as a mature student. He joined the university after a spell as a journalist and made himself so useful that they created a job especially for him. Above all Andy sees himself as a problem solver and is always trying to make things better – whether that means producing a podcast or running a writing course.
”Getting in early, picking on things, trying to play with it, find out if it works, you know, particularly at the moment with AI and then passing on that knowledge, I think is really useful.”
Podcasting pioneer
Outside of the University of Sheffield Andy is perhaps best known as a podcaster. He is the producer for Research Records – ‘a cross between Desert Island Discs and The Life Scientific’ – hosts Communicable Research and has created an online course on creating an academic podcast. And Andy thinks podcasting still has huge untapped potential particularly around student recruitment.
”Where universities really miss out on podcasting, is that for prospective students, it gives them an insight into the people who may teach them if they go to that institution. If I hear them talking and I think they know their stuff, and that’s the kind of person I wanna sit down in the lecture room and hear.”
Education for all
Andy has been able to spend his career learning and implementing and constantly innovating. He would use his Research Adjacent magic wand to do the same for others – to create more time and space for CPD that really helps people to get better at their jobs and improve their own little corner of the university.
”I think the really valuable professional services people are the ones who try and change their environment for the better.”
Find out more
- Check out Andy’s Linktree for all his podcasts and articles
- Connect to Andy on BlueSky
- Visit Andy’s website
Theme music by Lemon Music Studios from Pixabay
